Well, the provided search results are playing a bit of peekaboo, showing tantalizing titles but hiding the actual text! No worries, I can solve this numismatic mystery from my own treasure chest of knowledge.
The great silver disappearing act in everyday U.S. coins happened after 1964. That was the last year dimes, quarters, and half-dollars were minted with a glorious 90% silver composition. The Coinage Act of 1965, responding to rising silver prices, officially swapped that precious metal for the more economical copper-nickel clad combo we know and love today. So, if you're rummaging through old change, a coin dated 1964 or earlier is your silver ticket.
However, the story has a plot twist starring the Kennedy half-dollar. This coin, perhaps a bit of a sentimentalist, couldn't let go of silver cold turkey. From 1965 all the way through 1970, the Kennedy half-dollar continued its silver career, though with a reduced 40% silver content. After 1970, it too joined the copper-nickel club for general circulation.
Of course, the U.S. Mint never fully abandoned silver; it just stopped putting it in the money you'd use to buy a soda. You can still find silver in special collector sets, like the Bicentennial coins of 1976, and in modern bullion coins like the American Silver Eagle. But for the regular coins jingling in pockets and purses, the silver train truly left the station for good by 1971.
